Prosperity is a small town in South Carolina. As a teenager I played guitar in a band which sometimes performed at the roller skating rink in Prosperity. Patrons would alternately skate a set and dance a set while we played in a far corner of the room as loudly as management would allow (maybe a bit more).

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The Britton Brothers Band debut CD, Uncertain Living (Record Craft), makes a good first impression for brothers, Ben and John Britton. Although still working on their formal music education (Eastman School of Music and Manhattan School of Music) at the time of the recording, the Brittons had played together and with other established talents for many years providing them with the practical experience necessary to give Uncertain Living the seasoned polish of a more mature recording. They also wisely enlisted the talents (and name) of an acknowledged top-notch soloist, band leader and composer, saxophonist Chris Potter, on two of the eight tracks. The quintet includes, along with Ben on tenor sax and John on trumpet, Austin Walker on drums, Jeremy Siskind on piano and Taylor Waugh on bass. The music is composed by the Brittons with the two exceptions of “Come Thou Fount,” a traditional hymn by Asahel Nettleton and “June Humidity” by Siskind. The style is mainly traditional jazz with elements of swing and be-bop given new life by creative compositions, intelligent soloing and precise ensemble playing. All members of the quintet have connections through the Eastman School and the familiarity and common experience shows...MORE...

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Trombonist Steve Swell’s latest release,5000 Poems(Not Two Records), is the fourth from his quartet turned quintet, Slammin’ The Infinite in its seven year history. Swell has been performing for over 35 years and has performed with the big bands of Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich and Anthony Braxton. Swell sees a connection between the ample palette of colors available in these large traditional jazz ensembles and the aural images painted by improvisational free jazz. Through association with the free jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor and the influence of New York experimental jazz purveyors such as William Parker, Swell discovered ways to bridge that gap and was propelled into the abstract expressionism of Slammin’ The Infinite and5000 Poems. The CD’s title, from a Walt Whitman essay, refers to the ideal of an artist’s dedication to his craft and the importance of a proliferation of creative expressions whether fully formed and mature or fresh and raw, an apt description of5000 Poems...MORE...